California’s Farmers Markets Save State Funding for Matching Programs

      Posted On: August 1, 2024

By Allen Moy, Minni Forman, Andy Naja-Riese and Sam Greenlee

The State of California is big. It is the most populous state in the nation with 25% more residents than the next largest state. California is long; over 650 miles from the Oregon border to the Mexican border. And California’s economy is large; if California were a country, it would be the fifth largest economy in the world.

That also means that when California faces challenges, the challenges are big. Earlier this year, the state’s Legislative Analyst’s Office projected that the state budget faced a potential shortfall of $68 billion. Like all states, California law requires a balanced budget so that shortfall must be addressed through increased revenue or budget cuts. 

So how did a group of farmers markets, mostly small-scale nonprofit organizations, win over elected officials in the largest state in the nation? Before sharing the response, it is important to explain the challenge farmers markets faced.

The Challenge: Budget Cuts Threaten Healthy Food Access at Farmers Markets

In January, funding for the California Nutrition Incentive Program (CNIP) at the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) was identified as one of the budget items to be cut to help close the state’s budget shortfall. The previous year, California’s farmers markets successfully advocated for $35 million to be added to the budget which would allow CDFA to apply for USDA funding through the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP), using the CNIP funds as the required match. The January 2024 announcement meant that CDFA could not spend the CNIP funds, even though they were already approved.

The loss of this funding threatened statewide programs that had been funded by the combination of CNIP and GusNIP grants, including Market Match, the largest of those programs. Market Match is a statewide program that matches spending at farmers markets by customers enrolled in CalFresh, California’s SNAP program. The program currently matches the first $15 spent per customer per farmers market visit. The program is offered at over 270 sites throughout the state – farmers markets, farm stands, and mobile farmers market sites – and is coordinated by the Berkeley-based Ecology Center. CNIP also funds incentives for the WIC and Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Programs in select California counties.

In the months that followed, California’s farmers markets rallied – sometimes literally – to bring attention to this relatively small funding stream that has had a significant impact on both farmers and consumers throughout the state. At the end of June, the California legislature passed a budget that was signed days later by California Governor Gavin Newsom that closed the shortfall while sustaining the CNIP funding approved the previous year.

Those involved in the successful effort to sustain funding for CNIP and Market Match despite the enormous challenges facing the state budget attribute the victory to several key factors that helped to achieve the goal and that can provide important lessons for the future.

Build Relationships with Elected Officials Before you Need Something

The effort by California’s farmers markets to influence state legislators was greatly aided by pre-existing relationships with those elected officials. Many of the members of the State Assembly and State Senate started at the city or county level and farmers market managers built relationships with them at that time. Sustaining those relationships as city council members became Assemblymembers and Senators proved helpful in getting meetings with elected officials and their staff. 

Regular communication with these elected officials, from annual reports to invitations to hold “office hours” at the farmers market helped to remind the Assemblymembers and Senators of their local roots and issues impacting their hometown constituents. Maintaining this dialogue made for easier communication when farmers markets had a specific policy ask during the 2024 legislative session.

Our established relationships allowed us to have champions in both houses in the Legislature who serve on key committees that oversee the state budget process.

California Assemblymember Damon Connolly, representing District 12 (Marin and Sonoma counties) addresses the Market Match rally in Sacramento on March 19, 2024

Build a Broad and Diverse Coalition with a Smaller, more Agile Leadership Team

It was clear from the beginning that securing funding for CNIP in a tough budget year would require the assistance of farmers markets throughout the state. California has a very large and robust farmers market community with nearly 700 farmers markets certified by the state of California. These farmers markets range in size from just a few vendors to over a hundred. Many are volunteer-run while others are managed by nonprofit organizations with sophisticated operations and large staffs. Figuring out how to engage and coordinate this group was the first challenge that needed to be overcome. 

Ultimately, a small group of farmers market operators – primarily nonprofit organizations that operate multiple farmers markets weekly with paid staff – formed an informal steering committee as the backbone of the Save Market Match Coalition. They met regularly via Zoom to strategize and coordinate their efforts. Regular Zoom meetings, open to all farmers markets and allied organizations – including food policy councils and anti-hunger groups – provided updates and recruited volunteers for social media campaigns, legislator visits, and public rallies.

This model allowed the group to be more nimble and responsive to what seemed to be constantly changing conditions while supporting a large and broad coalition of farmers markets through the state.

Rally on the steps of the California state capitol on March 19, 2024

Make your Case Often in both Numbers and Stories

There is an adage in advocacy that “numbers inform but stories inspire.” The successful effort to secure state funding for CNIP relied upon both numbers and stories. The Market Match program has consistently tracked its program outcomes such as number of CalFresh and Market Match transactions completed and value of CalFresh and Market Match benefits utilized by customers. Previous research efforts also clearly demonstrated the positive economic impact of the Market Match program. This advocacy effort effectively used that data to demonstrate the impact of CNIP’s support for Market Match at multiple levels: statewide, by county, and by legislative district. This allowed farmers markets to demonstrate the local impact that this funding made possible.

This data effort was supplemented by the collection and promotion of testimonials from Market Match consumers by farmers markets. Customers shared their personal experiences using CalFresh and Market Match and what it would mean to their ability to feed their families if the Market Match program could no longer support their purchase of fresh fruits and vegetables in their local farmers market.

Together, the data and the stories created a compelling narrative of the positive impact that Market Match has on families and communities, thanks to the investment of the state’s CNIP funds.

Keep your Message Positive

The prospect of losing state funding for the Market Match program was very concerning to the farmers markets, farmers, and customers that participate in the program. The possibility that farmers market spending by customers using CalFresh benefits could be cut in half would be devastating for farmers. In this situation, it would have been easy and understandable if farmers markets chose to publicly challenge those who recommended ending state funding for CNIP. Instead, it was agreed that our collective advocacy message would be positive; focused on the benefits that CNIP creates and the additional resources of federal funds that the state funding would make possible. 

In meetings with legislative staff members and legislators, there would often be questions concerning other statewide efforts to support CalFresh customers. Sometimes these questions would be prompted by confusion over programs serving similar populations. It was agreed early in the process that the farmers markets advocating for CNIP funding would not do so by suggesting funding reductions for other programs; and especially by not appearing to pit one food access program against another. Instead, farmers markets consistently shared the unique benefits that CNIP and Market Match bring to the communities they serve, especially the direct support for smaller scale direct marketing farms and the ability to leverage federal funds to increase the impact of the program.

Bring in Expert Help from those who Understand how the System Works

California’s farmers markets were fortunate to have the support of NextGen California. NextGen is a California based non-profit organization that describes itself as “dedicated to supporting and advocating for progressive policy, legislative, and programmatic issues in the areas of: climate, affordable housing, voting rights, healthcare, criminal justice reform, education, natural resources, income inequality, mental health, consumer protection, and veteran affairs.”

The members of the NextGen team who assisted farmers markets’ efforts provided valuable insights into the state budget process, connections with experienced staff members working for individual elected officials and with official legislative committees, and access to advocacy tools that helped farmers markets more effectively reach and engage voters.

Inform and Engage the Public but Make their Participation Easy

While farmers markets led the effort to restore state funding for CNIP, the effort also relied upon the participation and support of individual Californians throughout the state. Social media efforts, in-market signage, media outreach, and local advocacy engaged farmers, other farmers market vendors, and farmers market customers.

A small group of farmers market managers worked together to create images and messages optimized for social media and made those available to farmers markets throughout the state to use. They also created informational posters and flyers that farmers markets could download, print, and post in their markets to reach customers not on social media.

At the local level, farmers market managers wrote editorials and letters to the editor that were published in their hometown newspapers, stressing the importance of Market Match to local consumers. In several communities, they were also successful in getting resolutions in support of CNIP and Market Match passed by their city council or county Board of Supervisors. These public shows of support further increased the visibility of the issue while highlighting the issue as a high priority for continued state investment.

To support the engagement of farmers market customers, online tools were used that allowed customers to input their home addresses to send a message of support to the governor and to the members of the State Senate and State Assembly who represent their community. Access to this tool was just one of the many contributions of NextGen California. This tool helped to ensure that elected officials were hearing directly from their constituents about the importance of CNIP and Market Match.

Social media graphics were created by a team of volunteers and shared among farmers markets statewide to inform and engage community support

Celebrate Victories and Show Appreciation

This advocacy effort by California’s farmers markets took nearly six months. Along the way, numerous setbacks and obstacles were encountered. But there were also many small victories such as public statements by elected officials in favor of CNIP funding, a sign-on letter initiated by an Assemblymember that garnered multiple additional signatures from members of the State Assembly, county Boards of Supervisors that passed resolutions supporting CNIP and Market Match, and a large crowd that gathered on the steps of the state Capitol in a public show of support. Acknowledging and celebrating these small victories along the way was essential to sustaining optimism among the farmers market advocates and maintaining the group’s momentum.

Following the successful advocacy campaign, a social media campaign was launched to thank legislators and farmers market customers for their support

Final Thoughts

The lessons from the successful effort of California’s farmers markets to sustain the state’s investment into CNIP and Market Match can hopefully provide a guide to others looking to advocate for their farmers markets and their communities. But, it cannot provide a roadmap. Every situation will be different and will be shaped by the issue at hand and by those involved; both those advocating for a change and those decision makers who are the target of the advocacy efforts.

Around the same time that the California state budget that included the CNIP funding was passed and signed, Dr. Anthony Fauci published his memoir entitled “On Call.” In the book, Dr. Fauci shares the story of his long tenure as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, including his work at the beginning of the AIDS crisis. When reflecting on that time, he offers a summation of advocacy that concisely summarizes our successful approach:

That experience taught me crucial lessons. Just because no one had ever done something like this before did not mean it could not be done. I also realized how important it was to cultivate relationships with people who are in a position to make things happen. Importantly, to win over skeptics, I learned that the cause in which you are advocating must be legitimate, worthy, and not motivated by self-interest; Your arguments must be evidence based; and you must be truthful and consistent in your reasoning for asking for resources. People quickly see through anything less than that.

To all those embarking on an effort to advocate for your farmers markets and the benefits that they bring to your communities and your farmers, we wish you luck and much success.

About the Authors:

Allen Moy is the Executive Director of the Pacific Coast Farmers’ Market Association, a nonprofit organization that operates farmers markets in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is also a member of the Steering Committee of the California Alliance of Farmers Markets and a Board member of the national Farmers Market Coalition. 

Minni Forman is the Food and Farming Program Director at the Ecology Center in Berkeley CA, an environmental nonprofit supporting zero waste, sustainable urban living and just food systems. In this role, Minni leads statewide operations for Market Match, California’s largest healthy food incentive program. She also leads programmatic work at the California Alliance of Farmers Markets, and its Policy Work Group; and directs programming for Berkeley Farmers’ Markets.

Andy Naja-Riese is the Chief Executive Officer of the Agricultural Institute of Marin, an educational non-profit that operates certified farmers’ markets, a mobile farmers’ market, and food access programming in the San Francisco Bay Area. Andy represents AIM on the California Food and Farming Network and the Food and Farm Resilience Coalition and sits on the National Farm to School Network’s Advisory Board. 

Sam Greenlee is the Executive Director of Alchemist Community Development Corporation (Alchemist CDC), a non-profit organization serving the greater Sacramento, CA, region with a mission to connect communities to land, food, and opportunity. He serves as a member of the California Jobs First (formerly CERF) – Capital Region Leadership Council and as a Steering Committee member for the California Alliance of Farmers’ Markets and the Sacramento Food Policy Council.